diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.1-match-types.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.1-match-types.mdx index c260f7b..0025d87 100644 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.1-match-types.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.1-match-types.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 75 # Match Types: Broad, Phrase, Exact (The Three Levers of Control) +## What you can do after this lesson + +Choose the right match type, broad, phrase, or exact, for a keyword's role in a campaign, and explain that choice to a client in plain terms. + +## The decision in one sentence + +Match type controls how loosely or tightly a shopper's search has to match your keyword before your ad can show: broad to discover, phrase to scale, exact to protect proven winners. + When you add a keyword to your Amazon campaign, you're not just telling Amazon "show my ad when someone searches this exact word." You're choosing **how closely** the shopper's search term needs to match your keyword before your ad appears. That choice, your **match type**, is one of the most powerful levers you have. > **Analogy:** Match types are like three different ways to invite people to your party: @@ -163,6 +171,22 @@ CAMPAIGN: Exact Profit > - The match type hierarchy works downward: broad → phrase → exact. > - **Never stop adding negatives.** Every campaign, every week. +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +You've been running one broad-match ad group for a $45 stainless-steel water bottle for three weeks. The search term report shows "stainless steel water bottle" converting at 14% with a $1.10 CPC, and "water bottle" alone converting at 1.5% with a $0.95 CPC and no sign of improving. + +Before reading further: what do you do with each of these two search terms, and why? + +**Work it through:** "Stainless steel water bottle" is proven and specific. Move it to its own exact-match campaign so you can bid it up without paying broad-match rates for a term you already know converts. "Water bottle" alone is broad, low-converting, and has had three weeks to prove itself; it hasn't. Add it as a negative in the broad campaign (exact or phrase, depending on how much of that broader traffic is worth keeping) so the broad-match budget goes to terms still worth discovering, not one that's already shown its hand. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why you're splitting one campaign into three: + +> "I'm separating your keywords by match type so each one gets a bid that matches how confident we are it'll convert. Proven terms get their own campaign so we can raise bids safely, while new terms stay in a broader net so we keep discovering without overpaying." + ## Quick check 1. Your keyword is broad-match "water bottle." Would "large water bottle for gym" trigger your ad? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.2-keyword-research-workflow.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.2-keyword-research-workflow.mdx index 8edace9..bbd9795 100644 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.2-keyword-research-workflow.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.2-keyword-research-workflow.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # Keyword Research Workflow & Tools +## What you can do after this lesson + +Run the four-step keyword research workflow (research, analyze, prioritize, organize) end to end for a real product, and produce a keyword map ready for campaign structure. + +## The decision in one sentence + +Before adding a single keyword to a campaign, cast a wide net for candidates, then filter, score, and group them, so structure and bids are built on data, not guesses. + Knowing what match types are is like knowing how to use a hammer. Knowing **how** to find the right keywords is knowing which nail to hit. This lesson gives you the complete keyword research workflow, the same process Ryan uses to find winning keywords for accounts managing ₱50M+ in ad spend. > **Analogy:** Keyword research is like fishing in a new lake. You could cast randomly and hope for the best (many sellers do this). Or you could study the lake, ask locals what's biting, drop a sonar, and cast where the fish actually are. One approach catches dinner. The other catches weeds. @@ -215,6 +223,20 @@ Here's what a real keyword research session looks like for a **bamboo cutting bo > - **Organize by theme.** One theme per ad group for maximum relevance and control. > - **Document everything.** Your keyword research is a living document. Update it weekly. +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +You've pulled 150 candidate keywords for a $22 silicone oven mitt from the search term report and Brand Analytics. Before organizing anything, pick the two filtering criteria you'd apply first to cut that list down, and name one keyword you'd remove immediately. + +**Work it through:** Start with intent and relevance. Remove research-intent terms ("how to clean oven mitt," "oven mitt vs pot holder") since they rarely convert in the same session, and remove anything outside your actual product category (for example "kitchen gloves," if your listing is mitts only). Volume and competition matter, but they're prioritization criteria for what survives the first cut, not the first cut itself. Filtering by intent and relevance too late means you waste scoring effort on keywords that should never have made the list. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why keyword research takes a full session instead of "just picking good keywords": + +> "I pulled every search term that could plausibly lead to your product, then filtered and scored what survived by relevance and competition. What you'll see in the campaign is the top tier of that process, not a first guess." + ## Quick check 1. What are the four steps of the keyword research workflow, in order? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.3-negative-keywords.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.3-negative-keywords.mdx index b91b398..1bb48be 100644 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.3-negative-keywords.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.3-negative-keywords.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # Negative Keywords: The Most Underused Profit Lever +## What you can do after this lesson + +Identify wasted spend from a search term report and decide whether to block it with a negative exact or negative phrase, at the campaign or ad group level. + +## The decision in one sentence + +A search term with real spend and no sales is a negative candidate; whether it's exact or phrase, campaign- or ad-group-level, depends on how narrow the waste is. + Most sellers spend 80% of their time on **what to target** and 20% on **what to block**. That ratio is backwards. Negative keywords (the terms you tell Amazon NOT to show your ad for) are one of the fastest ways to improve your ACoS (advertising cost of sales). > **Analogy:** Negative keywords are a "Do Not Sell To" list for your store. You wouldn't let someone walk in, waste your staff's time, and leave without buying, every single day. But that's exactly what happens when you don't use negatives. Shoppers click your ad, you pay for the click, and they bounce because what they searched isn't what you sell. @@ -173,6 +181,22 @@ The first two weeks are critical. This is when new search terms flood in and you > - Put **campaign-level** negatives where they apply everywhere, **ad group-level** for theme-specific blocks. > - A well-maintained negative list grows over time and keeps your campaigns efficient as they scale. +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +A search term report for a $19.99 silicone baking mat shows two terms: "baking mat 3 pack" (12 clicks, $9 spend, 2 sales) and "microwave splatter cover" (20 clicks, $16 spend, 0 sales, and it's clearly a different product). + +Before reading further: what do you do with each term, and at what level? + +**Work it through:** "Baking mat 3 pack" is converting; leave it alone, it isn't a negative candidate at all. "Microwave splatter cover" has real spend, zero sales, and describes a different product entirely, not just a loose match. Add it as a negative phrase (so it also blocks variants like "silicone microwave splatter cover") at the campaign level, since the irrelevance isn't specific to one ad group's theme, it's wrong for the whole campaign. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why you're blocking search terms instead of just lowering bids: + +> "This search term is unrelated to what you sell, so no bid would make it profitable. I've added it as a negative, which stops the wasted clicks entirely rather than just making them cheaper." + ## Quick check 1. In the before-and-after example, what did ACoS drop from and to after adding negatives? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.4-keyword-grouping.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.4-keyword-grouping.mdx index e086a44..83f0c4b 100644 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.4-keyword-grouping.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/2-keyword-research/2.4-keyword-grouping.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 75 # Keyword Grouping for Campaign Structure +## What you can do after this lesson + +Group a keyword list into themed ad groups by shared shopper intent, and decide when a group needs to be split. + +## The decision in one sentence + +If every keyword in a group doesn't share one obvious shopper intent, split the group; one bid and one negative list should make sense for everything inside it. + You've found 100+ keywords. You've filtered them down to 40 high-potential terms. Now what? This is where most sellers make their biggest mistake: **dumping all keywords into one ad group**. It works, briefly. But as you scale, it becomes a mess of conflicting data, vague optimization, and missed opportunities. @@ -187,6 +195,22 @@ You don't need to do this perfectly on day one. In fact, your first grouping wil > - Start simple (3-4 groups) and **refine with data** (eventually 5-8 groups). > - **Review quarterly.** Search behavior changes and your groups should too. +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +You have five keywords for a $30 yoga mat: "yoga mat," "extra thick yoga mat," "yoga mat gift set," "eco friendly yoga mat," "yoga mat for beginners." + +Before reading further: which of these belong together in one ad group, and which need their own group? + +**Work it through:** "Yoga mat," "extra thick yoga mat," and "yoga mat for beginners" share the same general-shopper intent (buying one for themselves, based on product features), so they can sit together. "Yoga mat gift set" is a different shopper, buying for someone else, likely more price- and packaging-sensitive, and belongs in its own "Gift" group. "Eco friendly yoga mat" reflects a values-driven shopper who may deserve a different bid; even without per-group ad copy, that's a distinct enough theme to track separately rather than fold into the general group. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why you're not putting all their keywords in one ad group: + +> "I've grouped your keywords by what the shopper is actually looking for, not just by product name. That way each group gets a bid that matches its real conversion behavior, and I can tell you exactly which shopper type is working, instead of one blended number." + ## Quick check 1. What's the quick test for whether an ad group needs to be split into two? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/3-listing-optimization/3.1-listing-quality-score.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/3-listing-optimization/3.1-listing-quality-score.mdx index 6dd1888..61d2b54 100644 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/3-listing-optimization/3.1-listing-quality-score.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/3-listing-optimization/3.1-listing-quality-score.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # Listing and Ad Relevance Signals +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can look at a listing's CTR (click-through rate), CVR (conversion rate, orders divided by clicks), and other observable signals and decide whether a weak listing or a weak bid is the real problem. + +## The decision in one sentence + +Weak CTR and CVR point to a listing problem, so fix the listing before you touch the bid. + Here's something most Amazon sellers don't realize: **your ad performance isn't just about your bid.** Amazon does not publish or expose a single named "Quality Score" you can look up for a listing. But your listing's relevance and performance signals still shape how efficiently your ads run. A strong listing tends to get more efficient ad performance than a weak one at the same bid. "Listing and ad relevance signals" is a teaching shorthand for this lesson, not a product feature you can check in Seller Central or the Advertising Console. @@ -190,6 +198,20 @@ Go through this checklist before spending a single peso on ads: --- +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +You manage PPC for a client's silicone baking mat, priced at $15.99, running on the exact match keyword "silicone baking mat." Two weeks in, average CPC (cost per click) is $0.68, CTR is 0.18%, CVR is 4.2%, and ACoS (advertising cost of sales) is about 101%. The listing has only 3 images, no A+ Content, a 3.6-star rating from 9 reviews, and bullet points that are single generic lines like "Non-stick surface." The client's daily ad budget is ₱2,800, and they want you to raise bids by 30% tomorrow to "get more traffic." Before reading further: should you raise the bid, or fix the listing first, and which two listing fixes would you prioritize this week? + +**Work it through:** The signals here, low CTR, low CVR, thin reviews, no A+ Content, and generic bullets, are the observable inputs this lesson flags as plausible drags on ad efficiency. An ACoS above 100% already shows the ad is spending more on clicks than it earns back in sales, before even counting product cost. Raising the bid on a listing this weak just pays more for the same weak signals; it doesn't fix why shoppers aren't clicking or converting. Fix the listing first: this week, rewrite the bullets to lead with a benefit and proof instead of a bare feature, and add more images (at least 5, with a lifestyle shot) since 3 images with no A+ Content is well below what a listing needs before serious ad spend. Only after CTR and CVR move should the bid conversation restart. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why raising the bid isn't the first step: + +> "Right now our cost per click is high because shoppers aren't clicking or buying at the rate that earns cheaper clicks from Amazon. Before we spend more on bids, let's fix the listing itself (photos, bullets, reviews) so the same ad budget works harder, then revisit bids once those numbers improve." + ## Quick check 1. Does Amazon publish a single, checkable "Quality Score" for a listing? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/3-listing-optimization/3.2-listing-anatomy.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/3-listing-optimization/3.2-listing-anatomy.mdx index 5059a88..45bcb95 100644 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/3-listing-optimization/3.2-listing-anatomy.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/3-listing-optimization/3.2-listing-anatomy.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 75 # Listing Anatomy: Title, Bullets, Images & PPC +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can rewrite a listing's title, bullet points, and image sequence using the PPC-aware formulas in this lesson so each section pulls its own weight for CTR (click-through rate) and CVR (conversion rate, orders divided by clicks). + +## The decision in one sentence + +The title earns you the click and the bullets and images earn you the sale, so build the title around your primary keyword and build the bullets and images around feature, benefit, and proof. + Every part of your Amazon listing is a PPC asset. Your title feeds keyword relevance. Your images drive your CTR (click-through rate). Your bullets close the sale. Treat each section as part of your ad strategy, not just product information. > **Analogy**: Your Amazon listing is a storefront. The **title** is the sign above the door. The **main image** is the window display. The **bullet points** are the salesperson greeting customers at the entrance. The **A+ Content** is the interior decor that makes people want to stay. A good storefront has all four working together. @@ -186,6 +194,20 @@ Use this before every product launch: > - Every part of your listing feeds back into ad performance. Optimize all of it, not just one piece. > - Spend **one hour per listing** on this before launching ads. That hour is small next to what a weak listing burns in wasted ad spend, even though the exact payback ratio varies per product. +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +You're optimizing the listing for a $19.99 collapsible silicone travel mug. The current title is "Silicone Travel Mug." The current bullet 1 reads "350ml capacity." The main image sits on a white background but is only 900px, and there are just 3 images total. Before reading further: rewrite the title so it's PPC-optimized but still natural to read, rewrite bullet 1 using the feature to benefit to proof structure, and name the two image fixes needed before this listing is ready for real ad spend. + +**Work it through:** Title: "Collapsible Silicone Travel Mug, 350ml Cup for On-the-Go Use." That adds the confirmed capacity and a general use-case phrase without inventing features the brief never confirmed, since a title should only promise what the listing can actually back up. Bullet 1: "COLLAPSES TO HALF THE SIZE. At 350ml, this mug flattens down to fit any bag pocket or cup holder once you're done with it. Confirm with the client whether it's leakproof and tested for daily carry before adding that as a third sentence, since an unverified durability claim is worse than none at all." That moves the bullet from a bare spec ("350ml capacity") toward feature and benefit, with proof added only once it's actually verified. Image fixes: the main image needs to reach at least 1000px so Amazon's zoom feature can activate, and the listing needs more than 3 images, at least 5, ideally with a lifestyle shot in position 2 showing the mug in use. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why you're rewriting a title that already has the product name in it: + +> "The current title only matches one search term, so I'm rewriting it to naturally include the confirmed size and general use-case language. That can improve relevance signals, but how many searches we actually show for still depends on our campaign's targeting and match types, not the title alone." + ## Quick check 1. Why should you keep your title concise and natural instead of stuffing it with keywords? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/3-listing-optimization/3.3-aplus-content.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/3-listing-optimization/3.3-aplus-content.mdx index d82e029..5b6eef3 100644 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/3-listing-optimization/3.3-aplus-content.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/3-listing-optimization/3.3-aplus-content.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 75 # A+ Content & Brand Registry Advantage +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can tell a client whether Brand Registry and A+ Content are worth pursuing for their product, and roughly estimate the ACoS (advertising cost of sales) improvement enrolling could produce. + +## The decision in one sentence + +A+ Content tends to raise conversion rate, and a higher conversion rate tends to lower ACoS at the same bid, but only once you've confirmed Brand Registry eligibility and validated the lift with your own data, so treat it as a hypothesis to test, not a guaranteed outcome. + If you're running Amazon PPC without Brand Registry, you're fighting with one hand tied behind your back. Brand Registry unlocks A+ Content (enhanced product descriptions with rich images and comparison charts) that directly improves your ad performance. > **Analogy**: Standard listings are like handing a customer a printed flyer. A+ Content is like giving them a full-color brochure with fold-out pages, comparison charts, and lifestyle photography. Both tell the same story. One tells it better. One gets more sales. For the same ad spend. @@ -164,6 +172,20 @@ If a listing genuinely moved from a 45% to a 30% ACoS, the gap at ₱200,000 in > - The **₱30k/year PPC savings** from A+ Content often pays for the trademark within months. > - **Enroll now.** The approval process takes 1-2 weeks, so start while you build your campaigns. +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +Your client sells a $22 insulated lunch box. They're not Brand Registered yet (trademark filed but not approved), their CPC (cost per click) is $0.60, and their current conversion rate is 7%. Ad sales are running about ₱60,000 a month. The client asks whether spending ₱18,000 to complete their trademark this quarter is worth it before their Q4 push. Before reading further: what's the first thing to check before recommending that spend, and using this lesson's ACoS (advertising cost of sales) math, what happens to ACoS if A+ Content lifts conversion rate from 7% to roughly 10%? + +**Work it through:** Check eligibility first. A pending trademark filed through Amazon's IP Accelerator program, or a pending application in some countries outside the US, can sometimes enroll in Brand Registry before full registration; a trademark filed directly with the US trademark office generally can't. Confirm the client's filing path and country before treating the ₱18,000 as a hard prerequisite. If full registration really is required: ACoS is ad spend divided by ad sales, which works out to CPC divided by (conversion rate times price). At a 7% conversion rate: $0.60 / (0.07 × $22) = $0.60 / $1.54, about 39% ACoS. If A+ Content lifts conversion rate to 10%, within this lesson's commonly cited range: $0.60 / (0.10 × $22) = $0.60 / $2.20, about 27% ACoS. Against ₱60,000 a month in ad sales, that roughly 12-point gap is worth about ₱7,000 a month in modeled spend saved, which would repay the ₱18,000 trademark cost in under 3 months, once the client's own before-and-after data confirms the lift actually happens. Tell the client: check eligibility first, and if the trademark really is required, it's worth finishing before Q4, treating the ACoS improvement as a hypothesis to confirm, not a guarantee. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks if the trademark cost for Brand Registry is worth it: + +> "Brand Registry enrollment itself is free. The real cost is trademarking your brand name, which can pay for itself within months once we confirm the conversion lift with your own data, and also gives you access to Sponsored Brands ads you can't run without it." + ## Quick check 1. What conversion or sales lift is commonly cited for A+ Content, and is that a guaranteed Amazon figure? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.1-sponsored-products.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.1-sponsored-products.mdx index cf11594..5a6187b 100755 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.1-sponsored-products.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.1-sponsored-products.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # Sponsored Products: Your Ad's Best Salesperson +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can set up a basic Sponsored Products structure for a new product, choosing the right match types and splitting budget across them by purpose. + +## The decision in one sentence + +Proven keywords deserve their own campaign and the biggest share of budget, so never blend them with unproven discovery or research keywords. + Sponsored Products are the ads you see when you search on Amazon: the results with the little "Sponsored" tag. They look almost identical to regular product listings, which is exactly the point. Shoppers don't even realize they're clicking an ad. They just see a product that matches what they're looking for. > **Analogy**: Sponsored Products are like having a really good salesperson stationed at the front of a busy store. When someone walks in looking for a "stainless steel water bottle," your salesperson (the ad) grabs their attention and walks them to your product. The shopper thinks they found it naturally, but you paid for that introduction. @@ -119,6 +127,20 @@ When starting with Sponsored Products: > **Key Takeaway**: Sponsored Products are your bread and butter. They're keyword-targeted (or product-targeted), CPC-based ads that appear in search results and on product pages. Structure your campaigns by match type and purpose, not just by product. +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +You're launching Sponsored Products for a new $18.99 phone tripod stand. You have three keyword groups ready: "phone tripod stand" and "tripod for phone" (both converted at 11% CVR, conversion rate, in a prior test), "tripod stand" and "phone accessories stand" (broader category terms, unproven), and a list of 6 competitor ASINs (Amazon's product IDs) selling similar tripods. The client's total daily budget is ₱1,400. Before reading further: how many campaigns would you create, which match type goes in each, and roughly how would you split the ₱1,400 daily budget across them? + +**Work it through:** Three campaigns covers this cleanly, with one explicit split instead of a range: SP-Exact-Proven holds "phone tripod stand" and "tripod for phone" as exact match, at the highest bid, since they already have a proven 11% CVR; that's 55% of budget, ₱770. SP-Phrase-Discovery holds "tripod stand" and "phone accessories stand" as phrase match at a medium bid to test them cheaply; that's 30% of budget, ₱420. SP-PAT-Competitors targets the 6 competitor ASINs through product targeting at a medium bid; that's the remaining 15%, ₱210. Keeping the proven and unproven keywords in separate campaigns means the proven pair can absorb most of the budget while the untested terms stay on a short leash until they prove themselves. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why you're not putting all the keywords into one campaign: + +> "If we put your best keywords and your untested ones in the same campaign, we can't tell which ones are actually earning back the ad spend. Splitting them into separate campaigns lets us push more budget to what's already working and keep a small, safe budget on what we're still testing." + ## Quick check 1. What are the three things you set up to get a Sponsored Products ad running: a product (ASIN), a set of keywords, and a ______? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.2-sponsored-brands-display.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.2-sponsored-brands-display.mdx index 6f2d764..623db7e 100755 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.2-sponsored-brands-display.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.2-sponsored-brands-display.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # Sponsored Brands & Display: Beyond the Basics +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can recommend which ad type, Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, or Sponsored Display, fits a client's specific goal instead of defaulting to Sponsored Products for everything. + +## The decision in one sentence + +Sponsored Products sells one product to an active searcher, Sponsored Brands defends and showcases the whole brand, and Sponsored Display brings back shoppers who already looked, so match the ad type to where the shopper is, not just to what's easiest to set up. + Sponsored Products are your workhorse, the ad type you'll use most. But Amazon offers two other powerful ad types that serve different purposes. Understanding when to use each one is what separates a good PPC manager from a great one. > **Analogy**: If Sponsored Products are a salesperson standing at the front of a store, Sponsored Brands are the **billboard on the highway** (building awareness) and Sponsored Display is the **follow-up email** that brings people back after they leave. @@ -107,6 +115,20 @@ The most sophisticated PPC strategies use all three ad types together as a **fun > **Key Takeaway**: Sponsored Products are for direct sales. Sponsored Brands are for brand building and showcasing your product line. Sponsored Display is for retargeting and reaching new audiences. Use all three for a complete PPC strategy, but master SP first. +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +Your client sells reusable produce bags under the brand name "GreenKeep." Two things just happened: a competitor started bidding on the search term "greenkeep," so a rival ad now shows above GreenKeep's own listing when shoppers search the brand name directly, and separately, the client's data shows 400 shoppers viewed the produce bags last month but didn't buy. The client only has budget for one new campaign this month, not both problems at once. Before reading further: which problem would you fix first, and which ad type solves each one? + +**Work it through:** Fix the brand hijacking first. A competitor's ad outranking GreenKeep's own listing on GreenKeep's own brand name search is an active, ongoing loss of traffic the brand has already earned. Sponsored Products can defend this to some degree with a manual exact-match bid on "greenkeep" itself, but Sponsored Brands (SB) is the cleaner, brand-led tool when Brand Registry is available: an SB campaign using GreenKeep's own brand name can compete for a top placement with GreenKeep's logo and full product line, instead of one listing fighting for the keyword alone. The 400 shoppers who viewed but didn't buy are a real opportunity, but they're not actively bleeding to a competitor right now, and they're a fit for Sponsored Display (SD) audience targeting, specifically retargeting past viewers, where the account and marketplace support it (SD also requires Brand Registry, so confirm eligibility before promising it). Recommend the SB brand-defense campaign this month, and add SD retargeting once budget and eligibility both check out. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why you're recommending Sponsored Brands instead of just raising Sponsored Products bids: + +> "A competitor is now showing their ad above yours when people search your own brand name. Sponsored Brands is the cleanest way to compete for that top spot with your logo and full product line, instead of one listing fighting back with a higher bid." + ## Quick check 1. Which ad type promotes your brand as a whole, with a logo, headline, and up to three products, instead of a single product listing? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.3-campaign-structure.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.3-campaign-structure.mdx index 8a559e8..190aa00 100755 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.3-campaign-structure.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.3-campaign-structure.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # Campaign Structure: The Filing Cabinet Method +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can design a campaign structure and naming convention for a new product launch so every campaign's purpose, match type, and bid logic is obvious at a glance. + +## The decision in one sentence + +Keywords with different conversion rates need different campaigns and bids, so never let a proven exact match term share an ad group, or a budget, with an unproven broad match term. + A messy campaign structure is the number one reason sellers waste money on Amazon PPC. It's not about having the "right" keywords. It's about organizing them so you can control, measure, and optimize each group independently. > **Analogy**: Campaign structure is like organizing a filing cabinet. If every document is in one big pile, you'll never find what you need when you need it. But if you have labeled folders organized by topic, pulling up the right document takes two seconds. PPC works the same way. Organized campaigns let you find and fix problems fast. @@ -142,6 +150,20 @@ Without negatives, both campaigns might compete for the same "yoga block" search > **Key Takeaway**: Good campaign structure isn't about being organized for its own sake. It's about being able to control bids, measure performance, and optimize by segment. Separate your keywords by match type and purpose, name them clearly, and use negatives to prevent overlap. +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +A client sells a $14.99 stainless steel garlic press. You've set up Campaign "GP-Exact-Proven" targeting exact match "garlic press" ($1.10 bid, 18% CVR, conversion rate) and "stainless steel garlic press" ($0.95 bid, 16% CVR), plus Campaign "GP-Broad-Research" targeting broad match "garlic press" ($0.35 bid) and "kitchen gadget" ($0.30 bid). After a week, the broad campaign's search term report shows it's picking up clicks on the search "garlic press" itself, the same term the exact campaign already owns. Before reading further: what's happening here, and what one fix stops the broad campaign from competing with your own exact campaign? + +**Work it through:** This is the cross-campaign negative problem this lesson describes. Broad match on "garlic press" naturally also matches the exact search "garlic press," so both of the client's own campaigns are eligible to serve that same search, and the auction could hand some of that traffic to the cheaper $0.35 broad bid instead of the $1.10 exact campaign that's already proven to convert at 18%. The fix: add "garlic press" as a negative exact keyword inside GP-Broad-Research. That stops the broad campaign from ever serving that specific search, so GP-Exact-Proven wins it every time, and GP-Broad-Research is left free to spend its budget finding genuinely new terms like "kitchen gadget." + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why they're bidding against themselves in the reports: + +> "Two of your own campaigns were set up to catch different kinds of searches, but one of them was also catching a search the other campaign already owns. We added a negative keyword so only the campaign built for that exact search can win it, and the other campaign is now free to spend its budget finding new search terms instead." + ## Quick check 1. What are the three levels of Amazon's campaign hierarchy, from top to bottom? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.4-campaign-architecture-practice.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.4-campaign-architecture-practice.mdx index cf9a0a2..2de84de 100755 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.4-campaign-architecture-practice.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/4-campaign-architecture/4.4-campaign-architecture-practice.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # Campaign Architecture in Practice: Build Your First Campaign +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can walk into the Campaign Builder tool with a written plan for structure, keywords, bids, budget, and negatives before you place a single keyword. + +## The decision in one sentence + +Structure decides how well every other choice can work, so plan the campaign structure before you touch keywords, bids, or budget. + You've learned about Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display, and how to structure campaigns like a filing cabinet. Now it's time to put it all together in the **Campaign Builder tool**, where you'll design a complete campaign architecture for a real product. ## The Scenario @@ -103,6 +111,20 @@ You have everything you need: Launch the Campaign Builder when you're ready. Good luck, and remember, you can always redo it after you learn more. +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +Before you open the Campaign Builder, try this warm-up brief: you're launching a $34.99 portable USB-rechargeable blender. Target ACoS (advertising cost of sales) is 25%, and your keyword research turned up "portable blender" and "usb rechargeable blender" (high-intent, estimated 14% CVR, conversion rate), "mini blender" and "travel blender" (medium-intent, estimated 8% CVR), plus 3 competitor ASINs (Amazon's product IDs) for similar portable blenders. Your daily budget is ₱1,600. Before reading further: name the campaigns you'd create, assign each keyword group and the competitor ASINs to one, and calculate your maximum CPC (cost per click) for the high-intent group using this lesson's formula. + +**Work it through:** Maximum CPC = CVR × price × target ACoS, so for the high-intent group: 0.14 × $34.99 × 0.25, about $1.22. That's the ceiling bid for PB-Exact-Proven, which holds "portable blender" and "usb rechargeable blender" as exact match and gets the largest explicit share of the ₱1,600 budget: 55%, ₱880. "Mini blender" and "travel blender" go into PB-Phrase-Discovery at a lower bid to test them: 30% of budget, ₱480. The 3 competitor ASINs go into PB-PAT-Competitors through product targeting: the remaining 15%, ₱240. Once those are running, add "mini blender" and "travel blender" as negatives in the exact campaign if they ever start showing there, so each campaign keeps serving only the searches it was built for. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why setting up a campaign takes planning before you touch the ad console: + +> "Before we create a single keyword in your account, we map out which campaigns we need and what each one is for. That planning is what keeps your best keywords getting the budget they've earned, instead of everything competing for the same pool of money." + ## Quick check 1. Of the five scoring criteria (structure, keywords, bids, budget, negatives), which one carries the most weight, and why does it matter most? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/5-portfolio-strategy/5.1-campaign-portfolios.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/5-portfolio-strategy/5.1-campaign-portfolios.mdx index d31ebec..21b0ebf 100644 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/5-portfolio-strategy/5.1-campaign-portfolios.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/5-portfolio-strategy/5.1-campaign-portfolios.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # Campaign Portfolios: Organizing for Scale +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can decide whether an account has grown past the point where individual campaign management works, and build a portfolio and budget-allocation structure without mixing up portfolio-level budget controls with campaign-level bids and negative keywords. + +## The decision in one sentence + +Once an account has roughly 10 or more campaigns, group them into portfolios for shared budgeting and reporting, but keep bids and negative keywords managed inside each individual campaign. + When you have 5 campaigns, you can manage them one by one. When you have 50, or 500, you need a system. That system is **campaign portfolios**: a way to group campaigns together for shared budget management, performance analysis, and strategic control. > **Analogy**: Campaign portfolios are like filing cabinet drawers. Each drawer has a clear label (for example, "Kitchen Products," "Seasonal Campaigns," or "Brand Defense") and inside are all the related campaigns. When you need to review, report, or rebalance, you pull out the whole drawer instead of shuffling through every individual file. @@ -207,6 +215,20 @@ Next review due: [content owner to fill in at rewrite time] Owner: [content owner] ``` +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +Your client's account has grown to 16 campaigns across three product lines: insulated tumblers (an established bestseller), yoga mats (launched two months ago, still building conversion data), and resistance bands (a brand-new SKU launching next month). Total monthly ad budget is ₱150,000. The client also asks you to set up "one negative keyword list for all the yoga mat campaigns at once" so they don't have to enter the same negatives three times. Before reading further: should this account move to portfolios, how would you roughly split the ₱150,000 across the three product lines using the logic from this lesson, and how do you answer the client's request for one shared negative list? + +**Work it through:** 16 campaigns across three product lines is well past the 10+ threshold, so yes, move to portfolios: one for the tumblers (core, always-on), one for yoga mats (growing, still gathering data), and one for resistance bands (new launch, ramps later). For the split, weight it toward the proven performer the way the 60/20/10/10 structure does, adapted here to three product lines instead of four: tumblers get the largest share, roughly ₱90,000 (60%), yoga mats get a moderate share while they build data, roughly ₱37,500 (25%), and resistance bands start smaller, roughly ₱22,500 (15%), with room to grow once the launch has data behind it. On the negative list request, the answer is no: a portfolio groups campaigns for shared budgeting and reporting, but it doesn't carry a shared negative-keyword list. Each yoga mat campaign still needs its own negatives entered or copied over. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks whether one negative keyword list can cover every campaign in a product group at once: + +> "Portfolios let us manage budget and reporting for all three yoga mat campaigns together, but negative keywords still have to be added to each campaign individually, so we'll copy the same list into all three instead of setting it once for the group." + ## Quick check 1. At what rough campaign count does this lesson recommend switching from managing campaigns individually to grouping them into portfolios? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/5-portfolio-strategy/5.2-budget-pacing.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/5-portfolio-strategy/5.2-budget-pacing.mdx index e9155ae..7e8be32 100644 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/5-portfolio-strategy/5.2-budget-pacing.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/5-portfolio-strategy/5.2-budget-pacing.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # Budget Pacing & Daily Spend Management +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can read a campaign's burn rate partway through the day and decide whether to raise the budget, adjust bids, or leave the campaign alone before that day's spend runs out. + +## The decision in one sentence + +If a campaign is on pace to hit 100% of its daily budget in the morning or early afternoon instead of by end of day, that's a signal to raise the budget or reallocate spend, not proof the account is broken. + Your campaigns are running. Keywords are bidding. But are you spending your budget **efficiently**? Budget pacing is the art of making sure your daily ad spend is distributed evenly and strategically throughout the day, the week, and the month. Get this right and you'll never run out of budget at 3PM on a high-traffic day again. @@ -185,6 +193,20 @@ Keep this tracker in a spreadsheet. Update daily. It takes 2 minutes and saves y > - **Weekly patterns matter.** Friday may need 30% more budget than Sunday. > - Track daily pacing in a **simple spreadsheet**. Two minutes a day saves thousands. +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +Your client's phone-case campaign has a ₱1,500 daily budget. It's 11AM and the dashboard already shows ₱1,200 spent, 80% of the day's budget. This is the third day in a row the campaign has paused by around 2PM. The client has a promo launching this Friday and doesn't want it shut out early. Before reading further: what does this burn rate pattern tell you, and what would you actually change before Friday? + +**Work it through:** A good pacing target is 80 to 90% of the daily budget spent by end of day. Hitting 80% by 11AM, three days running, is nowhere near that: this campaign is burning through its budget in a few hours and going dark for the rest of the day, which is the classic "budget too low for demand" pattern, not a one-off spike. The fix is to raise the daily budget, roughly 20 to 30% as a starting point, so it can run further into the evening instead of pausing at 2PM. Check pacing again after the change, and be ready to pair it with bid cuts or pausing low-performing keywords if it's still exhausting before the peak PHT evening window (8PM to 12AM). Do this before Friday, not on Friday: a promo day is when you most want the campaign live through that window, not paused since early afternoon. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why their ads seem to "turn off" partway through the day: + +> "Your campaign is hitting its daily spend limit around 2PM, that's Amazon pausing the ads once the day's budget cap is reached, not a technical problem. We're raising the daily budget so it stays live through the evening instead of stopping early." + ## Quick check 1. In the sample week, the sum of daily budgets was ₱7,000. What was the sum of daily spend shown on the dashboard? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/5-portfolio-strategy/5.3-seasonal-strategy.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/5-portfolio-strategy/5.3-seasonal-strategy.mdx index 4ba4b36..42c5e0f 100644 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/5-portfolio-strategy/5.3-seasonal-strategy.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/5-portfolio-strategy/5.3-seasonal-strategy.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # Seasonal Strategy & Promo Planning +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can build a pre-season, in-season, and post-season plan for an upcoming Amazon shopping event, and defend a rising ACoS (advertising cost of sales) to a client by pointing at profit after ad spend instead of the ratio itself. + +## The decision in one sentence + +Judge a seasonal campaign by whether profit after ad spend is going up, not by whether ACoS is going up, since a higher ACoS during a peak event is expected and can still mean more money for the client. + Amazon's traffic doesn't flow evenly throughout the year. There are massive spikes (Q4, Prime Day, Valentine's Day, Back to School) and quiet valleys. The difference between a good PPC manager and a great one is how they handle these swings. > **Analogy**: Seasonal advertising is like farming. You don't plant, water, and harvest at the same pace all year. There's a **planting season** (preparation), a **growing season** (execution), and a **harvest season** (reaping the rewards). Trying to harvest in planting season gets you nothing. Trying to plant in harvest season means you miss the crop. @@ -221,6 +229,20 @@ POST-SEASON CHECKLIST: > - **Save seasonal campaigns as templates.** Next year you can duplicate and launch in 30 minutes. > - The biggest mistake: cutting budget when ACoS rises during peak season. Don't panic. Ride the wave. +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +Your client sells insulated lunch boxes and is ramping up for Back to School (per this lesson's calendar, prep starts mid-July, peak spend runs August 1 to September 15). In a normal month, the account spends ₱30,000 in ad spend at a 20% ACoS, on a flat 45% margin. For the Back to School push, the plan is ₱150,000 in ad spend at a projected 32% ACoS. The client is nervous about the jump in ACoS and asks you to talk them out of it. Before reading further: work out sales and profit after ad spend for both months, and decide whether the client should actually be worried. + +**Work it through:** Sales = Ad Spend ÷ ACoS. Normal month: ₱30,000 ÷ 20% = ₱150,000 in sales, so profit after ad spend = (₱150,000 × 45%) − ₱30,000 = ₱37,500. Back to School month: ₱150,000 ÷ 32% = ₱468,750 in sales, so profit after ad spend = (₱468,750 × 45%) − ₱150,000 = ₱60,937.50. Even though ACoS rises from 20% to 32%, profit after ad spend rises by about ₱23,000, because the jump in sales volume more than makes up for the lower efficiency, at the same 45% margin. The client shouldn't panic, but flag that this only holds if margin stays flat: if they also discount lunch boxes for the Back to School push, redo the math with the actual promo margin. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client is nervous about ACoS rising during a seasonal ramp: + +> "Your ACoS will look higher during Back to School because we're bidding harder to catch more shoppers, but what actually matters is total profit after ad spend, and that's projected to go up by about ₱23,000 this month even with the higher ACoS." + ## Quick check 1. What are the three phases of a seasonal PPC strategy? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/6-bidding-lab/6.1-bid-strategies.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/6-bidding-lab/6.1-bid-strategies.mdx index 9db8fb6..354e1ce 100755 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/6-bidding-lab/6.1-bid-strategies.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/6-bidding-lab/6.1-bid-strategies.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # Bid Strategies: Flat-Rate, Surge Pricing, and Smart Discounts +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can pick Fixed Bids, Dynamic Up and Down, or Dynamic Down Only for a given campaign based on its data maturity and margin, and explain the choice using only what each strategy actually does, not a guarantee it doesn't make. + +## The decision in one sentence + +Match the bid strategy to how much conversion data and margin cushion you have: less data or thinner margin points to Fixed Bids or Dynamic Down Only, more data and healthier margin points to Dynamic Up and Down. + Your bid is the maximum you're willing to pay for a click. But what actually happens in the auction depends on your **bid strategy**, the rule Amazon follows when deciding how much to charge you. Choose the right strategy and you'll win more profitable clicks. Choose wrong and you'll either overspend or miss opportunities. > **Analogy**: Think of Amazon's three bid strategies like three ways to pay for a taxi: @@ -146,6 +154,20 @@ Your strategy directly impacts your ACoS: - Match your strategy to your data maturity: less data = more conservative - Always calculate your maximum CPC for the target ACoS before choosing a strategy, then monitor realized CPC against it +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +You manage two campaigns for the same client. The first is a screen-protector campaign that's been running for five weeks with solid conversion history, a target ACoS (advertising cost of sales) of 18%, and a healthy 35% margin; the client wants to grow volume ahead of an upcoming sale and is fine with some cost variability. The second is a pet-grooming brush campaign launching this week, with zero conversion data and a thin 12% margin. Before reading further: which bid strategy do you pick for each campaign, and why? + +**Work it through:** The screen protector has five weeks of conversion history, a comfortable margin, and a client who wants volume and can tolerate variability, that's the profile for Dynamic Up and Down: it tends to find more of the high-conversion placements, though actual ACoS can move either direction, so it still needs watching, not just switching on and forgetting. The pet-grooming brush has zero data and a thin margin, exactly the case for staying conservative: start with Fixed Bids or Dynamic Down Only, since neither one lets Amazon push your CPC (cost per click) above what you set. Given the thinner margin, there's even less room to gamble on unproven conversion data, so start with Fixed Bids for a couple of weeks to gather a baseline before considering anything more aggressive. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why a brand-new product's campaign is set to the conservative bid option instead of the aggressive one: + +> "For a brand-new product with no sales history yet and a tight margin, we start with a bid setting where Amazon can lower our base bid but never raise it above what we set. Placement adjustments can still lift the effective cost per click above that base bid, so we're watching realized CPC closely until we know what actually converts." + ## Quick check 1. Which strategy guarantees you never pay more than your set bid? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/6-bidding-lab/6.2-placement-adjustments.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/6-bidding-lab/6.2-placement-adjustments.mdx index d541ff3..2f0549b 100755 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/6-bidding-lab/6.2-placement-adjustments.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/6-bidding-lab/6.2-placement-adjustments.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # Placement Adjustments: Paying for the Front Row +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can calculate a product's maximum effective CPC (cost per click) once a placement adjustment and a dynamic bid strategy are stacked on top of the base bid, before you turn either one on. + +## The decision in one sentence + +Before setting a placement adjustment, divide your maximum CPC for your target ACoS (advertising cost of sales) by the placement and dynamic-bid multipliers combined, and treat whatever base bid that leaves as your ceiling, not the maximum CPC number itself. + Not all ad spots on Amazon are equal. The top of page 1 is prime real estate: shoppers see it first, click more, and buy more. Product detail pages are a different game entirely. Placement adjustments let you bid more aggressively for the spots that work best for your products. But here's the catch: these adjustments stack with your bid strategy, creating multiplicative effects that can blow through your budget if you're not careful. @@ -116,6 +124,20 @@ You've halved your traffic. This makes sense only if top-of-search converts at 2 - Start conservative (+10–25%), gather data, then increase - Monitor ACoS by placement, not just position +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +You manage a pet water fountain campaign: price $42, CVR (conversion rate) 9%, target ACoS 22%. The client wants to test Dynamic Up and Down (typical +40% increase) together with a +60% top-of-search placement adjustment. Before reading further: what's the max CPC at the 22% ACoS target, and what base bid keeps you under that ceiling once both the dynamic increase and the placement adjustment are stacked on top? + +**Work it through:** Max CPC = $42 × 0.09 × 0.22 = $0.83 (rounded). If only the placement adjustment applies, the max base bid is $0.83 ÷ 1.60 = $0.52. With both the +40% dynamic increase and the +60% placement adjustment stacked together, the max base bid drops to $0.83 ÷ (1.40 × 1.60) = $0.83 ÷ 2.24 = about $0.37. Set the base bid at or below $0.37 if both multipliers can be live at the same time, otherwise a top-of-search click can push past the 22% target. Remember this $0.83 is the ceiling for that target ACoS, not necessarily the product's actual break-even margin, so confirm the two line up before treating it as a profit line. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why the account isn't jumping straight to a high top-of-search adjustment: + +> "Placement adjustments and Amazon's dynamic bidding stack on top of each other, so two moderate increases can add up to paying two or three times the base bid on a single click. We calculate the ceiling first and start conservative so we're not finding that out the expensive way." + ## Quick check 1. You set a +75% top-of-search adjustment. Your base bid is $1.20. What's your maximum CPC at top-of-search? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/6-bidding-lab/6.3-bid-elevator-prep.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/6-bidding-lab/6.3-bid-elevator-prep.mdx index ccc731a..1559464 100755 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/6-bidding-lab/6.3-bid-elevator-prep.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/6-bidding-lab/6.3-bid-elevator-prep.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # Bid Elevator Prep: Ready to Bid +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can pull the price, CVR (conversion rate), and target ACoS (advertising cost of sales) out of a scenario brief, calculate the max CPC (cost per click), and decide whether to bid, accept a different ACoS, or walk away from the keyword. + +## The decision in one sentence + +If the market CPC range sits above your calculated max CPC for the target ACoS, don't bid at that target: accept a higher ACoS, improve CVR, or walk away from the keyword instead. + You've learned about bid strategies and placement adjustments. Now it's time to put that knowledge into action. The **Bid Elevator** tool will test your ability to make smart bidding decisions under realistic conditions, one scenario at a time, each with different products, margins, and market dynamics. ## What the Bid Elevator Tests @@ -131,6 +139,20 @@ You've got everything you need: Launch the Bid Elevator when you're ready. Good luck! +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +A client's phone tripod launches next week: selling price $24.99, cost $9.00, target ACoS 18%. The keyword "phone tripod for vlogging" has an estimated 10% CVR and a market CPC range of $0.60 to $1.10. This is a launch-mode scenario: the brief says visibility matters more than efficiency in week one. Before reading further: calculate the max CPC at the 18% target, and decide whether to bid on this keyword and at roughly what ACoS you'd actually be operating. + +**Work it through:** Max CPC = $24.99 × 0.10 × 0.18 = $0.45. The market CPC range ($0.60 to $1.10) sits entirely above that ceiling, so bidding anywhere in the market range means running above an 18% ACoS. At the low end of the market, $0.60, the resulting ACoS is CPC ÷ (Price × CVR) = $0.60 ÷ ($24.99 × 0.10) = about 24%. Since this is launch mode and the brief prioritizes visibility, bidding near the bottom of the market range at roughly 24% ACoS is defensible, that's a bounded trade-off, not bidding blind at $1.10 and an ACoS near 44%. Flag it to the client as a temporary launch-week decision, not the steady-state target. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why week-one bids are higher than the account's normal ACoS target: + +> "For launch week we're bidding a bit above our usual 18% ACoS target so the product gets seen while it still has no reviews and no ranking. Once we have sales data, we'll pull bids back down toward the normal target." + ## Quick check 1. A product sells for $29.99, converts at 12%, and the target ACoS is 25%. What's the max CPC? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/7-search-term-triage/7.1-search-term-analysis.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/7-search-term-triage/7.1-search-term-analysis.mdx index 4edf337..902dfc4 100755 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/7-search-term-triage/7.1-search-term-analysis.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/7-search-term-triage/7.1-search-term-analysis.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 125 # Search Term Analysis: Reading the Data +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can pull a search term report and sort every term into one of the five action categories (harvest, monitor, negate, judge, or investigate) using click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate (CVR), and advertising cost of sales (ACoS), instead of guessing from gut feel. + +## The decision in one sentence + +A search term's CTR, CVR, and ACoS, once you have enough clicks to trust them, tell you which of the five categories it belongs to, so harvest winners, negate irrelevant terms, and leave everything else for monitoring or judgment. + Imagine checking your bank statement and finding $200 charged by a subscription you forgot about. You'd cancel it immediately, right? That's exactly what search term analysis does for your ad campaigns. It finds the hidden charges draining your budget and kills them. Your campaigns are running, clicks are coming in, and Amazon is collecting data. But data without analysis is just noise. Search term analysis is the process of examining what shoppers actually typed before clicking your ad, then using that information to make your campaigns more efficient and profitable. @@ -144,6 +152,20 @@ Owner: [content owner] - Search term analysis is a weekly discipline that takes 30–60 minutes - The search term report is the most valuable data source in Amazon PPC +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +You manage a $28.99 bamboo cutting board set with a 20% target ACoS (advertising cost of sales). This week's search term report shows "cutting board with juice groove," 22 clicks, 4 orders, 0.62% CTR (click-through rate), and 14% ACoS, all triggered through a broad match "cutting board" keyword. You also see "cutting board for dogs," 9 clicks, 0 orders, 0.21% CTR. Before reading further: which of the five categories does each term fall into, and what's the specific action for each? + +**Work it through:** "cutting board with juice groove" has 22 clicks, above the 15–20 click minimum for exact match decisions, a 14% ACoS comfortably under the 20% target, and decent CTR. That's a Winner: harvest it as an exact match keyword with an aggressive bid, and consider adding it as a negative in the broad campaign so the two don't compete for the same search. "cutting board for dogs" has only 9 clicks and 0 orders. That's below the 15+ threshold for exact-match decisions, but it clears the lower bar for negatives (5+ clicks, zero conversions, clearly irrelevant), and its CTR is weak at 0.21%. This is an Irrelevant term: add "dogs" as a negative keyword now rather than waiting for more data that won't change the verdict. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why you're adding new exact match keywords instead of just raising the budget on the existing broad campaign: + +> "We found search terms inside your broad match campaign that are already converting well on their own. Moving them into their own exact match keywords gives them dedicated budget and bid control, so they don't have to compete with less efficient searches for the same money." + ## Quick check 1. A search term has 8 clicks and 2 orders. Should you add it as an exact match keyword? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/7-search-term-triage/7.2-negative-keywords.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/7-search-term-triage/7.2-negative-keywords.mdx index a4e6578..5abc5c3 100755 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/7-search-term-triage/7.2-negative-keywords.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/7-search-term-triage/7.2-negative-keywords.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # Negative Keywords: The Most Underused Profit Lever +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can build a negative keyword list straight from a search term report, choosing negative exact or negative phrase for each term, and tell the difference between spend you should cut and spend you should just rebid. + +## The decision in one sentence + +Zero orders on real spend with no relevance to your product means negative it now, but if a term is relevant and simply expensive, lower the bid instead of negating it. + Most Amazon advertisers obsess over adding keywords. Far fewer focus on removing them. Negative keywords, the search terms you explicitly tell Amazon NOT to show your ad for, are the simplest, most direct way to reduce wasted ad spend. A single well-chosen negative keyword can save hundreds of dollars per month with zero downside. > **Analogy**: Negative keywords are like a bouncer at the door of a nightclub. Without a bouncer, anyone can walk in, including people who will never buy a drink, cause problems, and take up space. A good bouncer keeps out the wrong crowd so the right crowd has a better experience. Your negative keywords keep out irrelevant shoppers so your budget goes toward the ones who actually convert. @@ -137,6 +145,20 @@ You saved $100/week while only losing $50 in sales, a net improvement of $50/wee --- +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +You manage a $34.99 electric wine opener. This week's search term report shows: "wine opener battery powered," 18 clicks, $19 spend, 3 orders, 16% ACoS (advertising cost of sales); "wine opener corkscrew manual," 9 clicks, $8 spend, 0 orders; "electric wine opener recharge," 11 clicks, $12 spend, 0 orders; "wine opener gift set," 6 clicks, $6 spend, 0 orders. Before reading further: which terms are negative candidates, what match type would you use for each, and which term, if any, should you leave alone? + +**Work it through:** "wine opener battery powered" is converting at a solid 16% ACoS with real orders. That's relevant traffic, keep it and consider harvesting it later, don't negative it just because it isn't your exact phrasing. "wine opener corkscrew manual" describes a manual product, the opposite of what you sell. That's a feature mismatch: negative phrase on "manual" blocks this and any other "manual [product]" variant. "electric wine opener recharge" has 0 orders on 11 clicks, but it's actually relevant, shoppers are asking about your product's battery, so before negating check whether your listing answers the recharge question. This may be a listing fix, not a negative. "wine opener gift set" has 0 orders on 6 clicks and signals gifting intent unrelated to your ad's targeting. If your product isn't sold or positioned as a gift set, negative phrase on "gift set" removes it. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why spend went down but sales barely moved: + +> "We removed search terms that were costing you money without ever converting. Your ad budget now goes almost entirely toward shoppers who actually buy, which is why spend dropped but sales held steady." + ## Quick check 1. A search term gets 45 clicks and $41 in spend with zero orders. Is it a negative candidate? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/7-search-term-triage/7.3-str-triage-prep.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/7-search-term-triage/7.3-str-triage-prep.mdx index 2f15ded..33fb5d9 100755 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/7-search-term-triage/7.3-str-triage-prep.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/7-search-term-triage/7.3-str-triage-prep.mdx @@ -10,6 +10,14 @@ xpReward: 100 # STR Triage Prep: Ready to Triage +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can triage a batch of search terms at speed, choosing Keep, Harvest to Exact, Decrease Bid, Add Negative Keyword, or Increase Bid for each one using the decision flowchart instead of second-guessing every term. + +## The decision in one sentence + +Relevance decides between negating and everything else, then ACoS (advertising cost of sales) versus target decides whether to harvest, hold, increase, or decrease the bid. + You've learned how to read search term data and how to use negative keywords. Now it's time to put it together: the **Search Term Triage** tool, where you'll analyze real search terms and make a decision for each one. > **Analogy**: Triage is what emergency room doctors do when multiple patients arrive at once. They quickly assess who needs immediate care, who can wait, and who doesn't need treatment at all. You're doing the same thing with search terms, quickly deciding which ones deserve budget, which need adjustment, and which should be cut. @@ -154,6 +162,20 @@ Open the Search Term Triage tool when you're ready. Triage each term with purpos After the scenario, review your scoring breakdown. Triage is where analytical skill meets speed. If you can triage a batch of terms accurately, you can handle any real-world search term report with confidence. +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +Your target ACoS (advertising cost of sales) is 20%. You're triaging a $22 silicone baking mat set. Four terms come in: "silicone baking mat set," 28 clicks, 6 orders, ACoS 11%, already exact match. "baking mat non stick," 24 clicks, 5 orders, ACoS 14%, currently broad match only. "baking mat oven liner," 19 clicks, 3 orders, ACoS 32%, exact match. "baking mat for kids crafts," 8 clicks, 0 orders, ACoS 0%. Before reading further: which of the five actions fits each term? + +**Work it through:** "silicone baking mat set" is already exact match with ACoS well under target and consistent orders. That's room to spend more per click: Increase Bid. "baking mat non stick" is performing well (14% ACoS, under the 20% target) with 24 clicks, past the 15–20 click minimum, but it's still only broad match, so Harvest to Exact. "baking mat oven liner" is relevant and converting, but its 32% ACoS is above the 20% target, so Decrease Bid rather than negating a term that's actually bringing in orders. "baking mat for kids crafts" has 0 orders on only 8 clicks. That's under the 10-click threshold this lesson uses for a confident negative, and the term also signals a craft use case rather than baking, so the safest call is Keep for now, the same low-click "wait for more data" case this lesson's quick-practice answer #5 uses, revisiting once it clears 10+ clicks rather than negating today on too little evidence. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why you increased a bid on a keyword that already has a low ACoS: + +> "This keyword is already converting well below your ACoS target, which means there's room to spend a bit more per click and still hit your profit goal. We're increasing the bid to capture more of that same profitable traffic." + ## Quick check 1. A search term is irrelevant, has 12 clicks, and 0 orders. Which of the five actions fits? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/8-competitive-intelligence/8.1-brand-analytics.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/8-competitive-intelligence/8.1-brand-analytics.mdx index 2ec3257..9c4ffd1 100644 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/8-competitive-intelligence/8.1-brand-analytics.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/8-competitive-intelligence/8.1-brand-analytics.mdx @@ -9,6 +9,14 @@ estimatedMinutes: 9 xpReward: 60 --- +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can pull Amazon Brand Analytics' Top Search Terms and Market Basket Analysis reports and turn them into specific keyword and product-targeting additions for your campaigns. + +## The decision in one sentence + +If a high-frequency search term or a frequently-bought-together product doesn't already appear in your campaigns, that's a specific keyword or product-targeting gap to fill, not just data to file away. + ## The Why > "In the trenches of Amazon PPC, the difference between a good campaign and a great one often comes down to what you know about your competitors that they don't know about you. Brand Analytics is your window into their playbook." @@ -123,6 +131,20 @@ IF demographics show high-income buyers: 4. Demographics data helps tailor ad copy and bidding strategy to your actual audience 5. Download and review ABA data at least monthly, integrate it into your optimization cadence +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +You manage a pet grooming brush account spending ₱65,000/month on Sponsored Products. Brand Analytics' Top Search Terms report shows "self cleaning slicker brush" at Search Frequency Rank #34 in your category, a term your campaigns don't target at all. The same report's top-clicked ASINs (Amazon's product IDs) for that search term include two products you don't currently product-target. Separately, Market Basket Analysis shows your grooming brush is frequently bought with pet grooming gloves. Before reading further: what three specific actions do you take from this, and in what order? + +**Work it through:** First, confirm you actually have a product that fits "self cleaning slicker brush," since adding a keyword only makes sense if your listing matches the search intent behind it. If it fits, add it to your campaigns as the next step in the lesson's monthly cross-reference workflow. Second, since the standalone comparison report Amazon used to offer is gone, the top-clicked ASINs shown for that search term inside Top Search Terms are your best evidence for which specific products to product-target, so add those two ASINs as targets rather than guessing. Third, the grooming-gloves pairing from Market Basket Analysis is a cross-sell and Sponsored Display targeting opportunity, not a Sponsored Products keyword, so build a Sponsored Display campaign targeting glove-buyer ASINs rather than folding it into your keyword list. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks how you find new keywords and competitor products to target without paid research tools: + +> "We use Amazon's own Brand Analytics reports, available to us because your account has Brand Registry plus Professional selling and Brand Representative access, to see exactly what shoppers in your category search for and which products they click on. That tells us which keywords and products are worth targeting, instead of guessing." + ## Quick check 1. Your Search Frequency Report shows a top-100 term your campaigns don't target at all. What's the workflow to act on it? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/8-competitive-intelligence/8.2-share-of-voice.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/8-competitive-intelligence/8.2-share-of-voice.mdx index eb83858..05d5f07 100644 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/8-competitive-intelligence/8.2-share-of-voice.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/8-competitive-intelligence/8.2-share-of-voice.mdx @@ -9,6 +9,14 @@ estimatedMinutes: 9 xpReward: 60 --- +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can build a Share of Voice (SOV) estimate for a keyword or category from the data Amazon actually gives you, classify it as Contender, Established, or Dominant, and pick the matching bidding strategy. + +## The decision in one sentence + +Your SOV tier, Contender, Established, or Dominant, decides your posture: grow aggressively below 15%, defend and optimize between 15 and 35%, and shift budget to ROAS (return on ad spend) and new segments above 35%. + ## The Why > "Your competitor's impression share doesn't lie. If they're showing up for every search and you're not, it's not 'bad luck.' It's a strategic gap." @@ -147,6 +155,20 @@ Track SOV monthly and look for trends: 4. Strategic positioning changes based on your SOV. A contender shouldn't spend like a dominant player 5. Track SOV monthly and investigate any sharp drops immediately +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +You manage a phone accessories brand. Using Brand Analytics' Top Search Terms report for your top 10 category terms plus your own Placement Report, you estimate your SOV (share of voice) for "magnetic phone mount" at 9%. Your Top of Search impressions have been flat for two months while a competitor's ASIN (Amazon's product ID) keeps appearing as a top-clicked result on that same search term. Before reading further: which SOV tier are you in, and what should your bidding strategy be for this term? + +**Work it through:** 9% SOV is Contender territory (under 15%), the range where you don't hold a dominant position and shouldn't try to win every auction. The right moves are the Contender playbook: target the competitor's brand or ASIN directly through product targeting, lean into long-tail variations of "magnetic phone mount" where competition is thinner, and keep bids competitive without trying to outspend the incumbent for every impression. To confirm this reading with harder data, pull Amazon's Search Term Impression Share report for this term: it gives your actual impression share and rank against other advertisers over a fixed window, a more direct read than the estimate methods this lesson otherwise relies on. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why you're not just raising the bid to beat a competitor on a keyword: + +> "Your current share of voice on this search is low enough that outbidding this competitor everywhere would cost more than it's worth. Instead we're targeting their product directly and going after related searches where they're not already winning, so we grow share without overpaying for it." + ## Quick check 1. Your SOV estimate for a keyword comes out to 22%. Contender, Established, or Dominant? diff --git a/content/curriculum/modules/8-competitive-intelligence/8.3-competitor-benchmarking.mdx b/content/curriculum/modules/8-competitive-intelligence/8.3-competitor-benchmarking.mdx index 9af97be..9776030 100644 --- a/content/curriculum/modules/8-competitive-intelligence/8.3-competitor-benchmarking.mdx +++ b/content/curriculum/modules/8-competitive-intelligence/8.3-competitor-benchmarking.mdx @@ -9,6 +9,14 @@ estimatedMinutes: 11 xpReward: 60 --- +## What you can do after this lesson + +After this lesson, you can run a weekly competitive review, score competitors on the gap analysis matrix, and turn each gap into one specific, trackable campaign action. + +## The decision in one sentence + +A gap where competitors average 1.5 or below and you average 2 or above is an opportunity to double down, a gap where competitors average 2 or above while you average 1.5 or below is a vulnerability to shore up, and everything else just needs watching. + ## The Why > "I've seen too many PPC optimizers collect competitive data like a hoarder collects newspapers, piling it up, never using it. Data without action is just expensive clutter." @@ -186,6 +194,20 @@ You've completed Competitive Intelligence. You now know how to: - Calculate and interpret Share of Voice for strategic positioning - Convert competitive data into specific PPC campaign adjustments +## Your turn + +Work this through before checking the answer. + +You manage a ₱450 yoga mat brand. This week's gap analysis matrix scores three dimensions: Sponsored Brands video ads (Us: Strong, Competitor A: Not using, Competitor B: Weak), branded search term defense (Us: Weak, Competitor A: Strong, Competitor B: Medium), and weekend bid scheduling (Us: Medium, Competitor A: Medium, Competitor B: Medium). Before reading further: score each dimension as Opportunity, Vulnerability, or neither, and name the one campaign action you'd take first. + +**Work it through:** Video ads: competitors average (0+1)/2 = 0.5, we're at 3. That clears the opportunity rule (competitors' average at or below 1.5, ours at or above 2), so it's an Opportunity: double down with a Sponsored Brands video campaign. Branded search term defense: competitors average (3+2)/2 = 2.5, we're at 1. That clears the vulnerability rule (competitors' average at or above 2, ours at or below 1.5), so it's a Vulnerability: shore up bids and defensive targeting on your own brand terms. Weekend bid scheduling: everyone scores Medium, competitors' average is 2 and ours is 2, which satisfies neither rule, so it's contested, worth a closer look later, not an automatic action. First action: fix the branded search term vulnerability before scaling the video opportunity. A lost brand term is actively costing you sales today, while a missed video opportunity is only a missed gain. + +## Client language + +Use this when a client asks why you're spending on defending your own brand name in search instead of putting that budget toward growth: + +> "Competitors are actively bidding on your brand name and winning some of those searches right now, which means customers looking for you by name can end up buying from someone else. Defending that term first protects sales you already have, before we spend more on growing new ones." + ## Quick check 1. A competitor scores Strong on brand term defense while you score Weak. Is that an opportunity or a vulnerability?